Work Text:
"Captain, if I might have a word?"
Jim glanced up from the padd he had been going over at the request. While it wasn't unusual for Spock to want a moment of his time it generally wasn't in the middle of Alpha shift while Kirk was in his chair and they were going warp 4 through the Delta quadrant. Wrinkling his brow in confusion Jim spoke up. "Now? Is it important?"
Spock would claim he didn't have a pissy look but the expression on his face right now could only be described as 'pissy'. Jim shoved down his amusement so it didn't show on his face and rose to his feet. "Let's head to the ready room."
Spock was quick to follow, Jim barely had time to glance around the bridge before the door was swishing shut. Taking a seat at the table Jim gave his attention to Spock. Though he couldn't say he was surprised Jim took in the sight of Spock standing by the table rather than standing. Well, this was apparently serious.
"Captain, if I could be so bold. Why do you greet Doctor McCoy first when you enter the bridge."
Jim's eyebrows instantly shoot up his forehead so high they almost reached his hairline. "Does.. does it really matter?"
"Captain protocol dictates that you should greet based on the chain of command."
Well, his eyebrows weren't coming down anytime soon Jim decided. "I do it because he's my friend. He doesn't have to be on the bridge, hell he hates seeing the stars but he does it for me."
The tiniest frown decorated Spock's face. "That brings me to another point. Why is Doctor McCoy so frequently on the bridge? It hardly seems a useful place for the Chief Medical Officer to be."
Holy shit.
"Spock.. are you.. jealous?" Jesus his eyebrows were going to get stuck where they were. Bones was never going to stop teasing him about that.
A light green tint, so light Jim would have missed it if it wasn't for the great lightning in the ready room, dusted Spock's cheeks. "That's highly illogical Captain."
Jim leaned back, arms crossing over his gold command shirt. "Bones is there because I want him to be. I don't think about it when I greet him. I just.. do I guess." Now that he thought about it Bones was not only the first one he tended to greet in any group situation but he was also the only one that got a slap to the shoulder or a hip bump. He'd even leaned against Bones's once or twice despite the grumbling he got.
"Perhaps it would be more useful if the Doctor remained in the medical bay during his shift and only comes to the bridge when needed."
Jim's gut reaction was to go 'oh hell no'. Before he let that escape his mouth he became thoughtful. Why did it matter so much for him to have Bones on the bridge? Especially since he knew that Bones still struggled with his aviophobia from time to time.
He tried to picture coming to the bridge day after day with no Bones to greet. No comfortably familiar shoulder to slap. Just eight to ten hours of sitting in the Captain's chair. And since when was he ever disappointed to sit in the chair?
The twist in his chest was unexpected and he found that he was staring at Spock while he had been deep in thought. And Spock, slightly jealous but thoughtful and patient Spock, was simply staring back.
Jim's mouth dropped open in a silent 'o'. So that's why he greeted Bones first. He was in love with Bones? When had that happened?? There would be time to reflect later. Right now he had a medbay to get to. Springing to his feet he blurted out. "I gotta go."
When he arrived in medbay two minutes later, though it felt like forever, he was slightly out of breath. Which, of course, was the first thing Bones noticed.
"Jim, are you alright?"
Jim had to take a moment to get his breath back before he could speak. Maybe sprinting the whole way hadn't been such a bright idea. "Bones.. I love you."
He expected Bones to be shocked, startled, confused, or even mildly put off. What he didn't expect was a slow amused expression to grace his best friend's face. "Yeah, Jim I know."
Jim sputtered, aware that like Spock's cheeks earlier, his own were gathering color. "What do you mean you knew??"
Bones gave a laugh and grabbed Jim by the elbow to guided him to the CMO's office. "I've known for a while. Was waiting for you to catch up, genius." A moment later he spoke up again. "Love you too infant."